Creating Online Cigar Store - Need Opinions

[StogieHomer]

Hi Dudes (and the occasional Dudette),

I am currently designing a new online cigar store (cigars, pipes, access, etc.) and would truly appreciate your input and opinions. I was curious what y'all like and dislike about the current crop of online stores out there - both the big boys and the mom-and-pops.

Do you find yourself using the same website all the time or do you switch around for the best deals? Are there any particular features you think your favorite site is missing that would make your online cigar buying experience a better one? Which features do you truly appreciate?

If I'm going to take the time to make this site I figured I should make it the best experience possible for us cigar heads and frankly I don't trust my opinion alone as I'm a little weird (I admit it). So, I turn it over to you, the awesome mob that is Club St..., er, Puff.com! Still trying to get used to that....

[kzm007]

One, I love the avatar!

Two, I have always enjoyed free shipping; I'm a pipe smoker, and hate having to spend ten bucks shipping on a $5 order. I know you guys need to make a profit on this stuff, but high shipping or high orders for free shipping (like $90 as one site says) is outrageous.

Good luck man.

[K Baz]

Me - I shop at the same stores over and over.

Price is important but great service, reasonable shipping, and selection are the keys.

I will pay more at a place if I get the above. Especially service and selection. I hate having to order 70 % of my "needs" at one place only to have to order the balance somewhere else. This increasing shipping cost and frustrations.

For example I shop with cigarmony and heartfelt for 100 % of my accessory needs. Don't know if they are the cheapest but I do know they are the best. Never an issue great guys and always happy. My happiness is worth the extra money to me.

They now have my loyality and no price discount or coupon can "buy" my business now. This is the realtionship you need to build with your clients because if you work on price alone someone will use price against you.

[Kayak_Rat]

I have helped with a few online smoking stores. One thing I truly hate are shops that drop ship everything. That being, they are only a store front. They relay their orders to the warehouse and everything is shipped from there. I know large humis and stuff are like that, but regular stuff I would rather not.

[tx_tuff]

Of course a great selection and fast shipping are a great place to start. As far as shipping goes, you need to have USPS as a option. I use a PO Box for everything and Fedex and UPS will not ship to a PO Box. That drives me crazy and I have not ordered a lot of things because of that.

Have live inventory!! When somebody buys something it comes off the website. My local B&M does this and it makes things so much easier. It lists how many singles and if there are boxes. Also one thing he doesn't have that would be cool is 5 cigar samplers. But sell singles, a lot of sites don't.

Good luck!

[e-man]

In theory, you're talking about a the same box of cigars regardless of who you buy it from. You must offer more VALUE (perceived or real) to the customer. Not just competitive pricing, but a sense that I'm getting more for my money than going with the big guys. For instance, it's not worth paying less if my sticks are stale and nobody answers the phone. Are these sticks ready to smoke the day I get them, or do I need to condition them myself?


There are a few components to building value:

#1 - Customer Service

I would also assume that you are drop shipping, as . You would be talking about a sizable investment in multiple boxes of each size, for every product you stock, plus a facility to store and maintain your stock.

If you are drop shipping, who is taking the call when there is a problem? I think that CI/Holtz/JR/etc are so successful because you always get great customer service, even when they have to take a loss. B&M's that do internet sales always have someone around during business hours to take these calls as well. If you plan on performing the customer service yourself, then you better be able to take calls and resolve problems during your day job.

As a general rule, expect every unhappy customer to tell at least 10 people, so providing good customer service is paramount.





#2 Information

I hate ordering samplers from Thompson because they don't tell you what sizes you are getting. I'm not even sure that they are the same size from one order to the next.

Most little sites don't give mush more information than Wrapper, Size, country. If you are familiar with the product, then don't use the manufacturers description. Write your own description with info that can help/influnce someone who wants to try something new. If you're not familiar with your product offering, then why would Iwant to buy anything from you?

If you can offer more information than other sites, then more people will come to your site first. If your customers recognize that you always have a competitive price, then there's no reason to search elsewhere.



#3 Extras

I have more confidence in an order that has a humidity pack in the bag. I know they're not going to be dried out, and they didn't heve to ship wet sticks to keep them fresh in transit.

It always nice when someone throws in an extra stick to try or some other promotional item(s).


Greater care in packaging. Not just a fiver taped to a board and placed in a padded envelope. Let me know that you are good at what you do, and give me confidence that you have taken good care of the product at all stages.

[Shaz]

Shipping discretely to the Canadian BOTL could open up a new market for you. Check out this link
Companies that deliver to Canada

and what they said....

[Arnie]

I bought a humidor from cheaphumidors (I think that was the name..) in Tampa and they have a feature where you can make an offer and if the offer is good enough you can buy the item for that amount. That's kind of fun.

Fair prices, good variety, reasonable shipping, good customer relations if something goes wrong, specials, prompt processing and shipping of the order, quality packaging materials. These are good things!

I buy most of my cigars online because of the convenience and price. I use JR, Famous, Cbid, Holt's and others. Now JR is good if you buy one box of cigars, you pay $2.50 shipping. Pretty good. But say you buy 4 bundles, then you pay ten bucks shipping. Not as good. With Famous you can buy the item on cigarmonster and pair it with other stuff and get the entire order shipped free. That's good. Also at Famous I feel pretty confident buying their house bundles because the quality is good. But I tried some of the cheap stuff at CI for some after work throw away smokes and they were god-awful. I don't trust them the same way I do Famous. But Cbid is a great auction site and if you know what to buy at CI they are great. Some good samplers. There is good and bad with all the sites. Just some random thoughts.

[Vagrant]

Personally, I tend to find a place I like, and stick with it.

The things I love that'll make someone like me a return customer is the service- Treat your customers like friends.

[Ozone89]

Consumers like to see LOTS of pictures!!

For me, I like a website that's easy to navigate. I like online cigar stores that are FULLY STOCKED (there are 3 good ones in my opinion) with quite a variety of different smokes. I like stores who are competitive in price, and give good customer service.

I like the fact that we have vendors on this website..who are active and here to interact with their customers. I think that is a BIG PLUS!

[dfrisa1]

This may be a long shot, but you asked so here we go. When I go to my local B&M they know what I usually buy, with that said, they let me know when they are getting my favorites in and when they are getting low. They also let me try out new smokes that they are thinking about handling, usually for free, under the stipulation that I let them know how they were.

Also, the local B&M carries some different types of beers, wines, cheeses, of course alcohol and novelties. What this allows you to do is pair up different drinks with different smokes, sometimes it gets pretty amazing how some of these pairing bring out the different tastes in each other.

in any case good luck

[PaleRider]

Well, I think there has been some very good input here. I personally tend to be fiercly loyal to those that take care of me. i.e. Smokeable, good condition, good packaging, timely shipping. Those are very important to me. Price is a consideration, to a point. I don't want to spend 50 bucks less and get crappy service with long lead times. (Yes you can insert Thompsons here).

Additionally, accurate stock tracking, decent selection. Also very important.

Someone had posted about other manufacturers/retailers on this board interacting with the customers. I think as it pertains to long term sustainability and market share. You definitely need to be thinking in those terms. Develop relationships, not numbers, and the numbers will take care of themselves.

Keep in mind your demographic as well. Majority are educated, with moderate to high levels of discretionary income. Good for business and sustainability. However; should you fail to meet or exceed expectations, they will be gone like a shot out of a gun, know that.

Just my FWIW
Cheers!

[Wigg]

I agree with Palerider. As far as online goes, I did like JR's at one time. However, I like the prices, quick shipping, and consistancy of Cbid. I also like the deal of the day thing at www.joecigar.com. I have found myself checking it out daily, and buying what I like. They are both owned by cigars international. A site that is easy to navigate is important as well, is VERY important. I have found that if the site is tough to nav, I will go away, even without looking at prices or selection. I also like reviews, and ratings of buyers at sites like Famous. Updating the site with deals on both accessories and stogies frequently is important, so you get a different experience everytime you log in. The home page look is very important, keep it simple and easy to use, much like cbid, joecigar.com, jr's, and cigars international.

My , but I could be wrong.

mark

[CigarMonkel]

prices and customer service are my two biggest things.

[madoqa]

need world-wide shipping!!